Six children die as migrant boats sink off Turkey

A first boat loaded with 55 Syrian and Afghan migrants sank in strong winds and high waves in the Aegean after setting out from near the town of Ayvacik for the Greek island of Lesbos, the Anatolia news agency reported. Turkish coastguards have so far recovered bodies of four Afghan children, it said. Another two children perished when their vessel heading for the Greek island of Kos sank off the coast near the southwestern resort of Bodrum, Anatolia said.
The boat capsized because of heavy rains and stormy weather, it added. Turkey, which is hosting 2.2 million refugees from the conflict in neighboring Syria, has become the main transit point for people fleeing war and misery for a better life in Europe. Turkey and the European Union have agreed in principle to a refugee action plan, which is expected to be finalized at a summit on Sunday.
The EU is planning to give Turkey cash help as well as provide visa-free travel for Turkish nationals in return for Ankara's help to contain refugee crisis.


Housing migrants
The Dutch government has brokered a deal with municipal and provincial authorities to house thousands of migrants who have been granted refugee status.
The agreement announced Friday involves building accommodation for 14,000 refugees. The aim is to provide housing for people granted asylum by Dutch authorities so that they can move out of temporary asylum seeker centers and free up room there for the thousands of migrants pouring into the Netherlands each month as part of the huge flow of people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Local governments also agreed to create thousands of new emergency accommodation places for asylum seekers in coming months in empty office blocks and other buildings.
The central agency responsible for registering asylum seekers says that the number of migrants arriving in the Netherlands this year already has surpassed the combined total for 2013 and 2014. Through the end of October, some 47,000 people had applied for asylum this year.
The arrivals are dividing the Dutch public, with opponents regularly protesting at public meetings to discuss housing asylum seekers while an organization that helps refugees reported this week that it had registered more than 10,000 new volunteers in just over two months.
A first boat loaded with 55 Syrian and Afghan migrants sank in strong winds and high waves in the Aegean after setting out from near the town of Ayvacik for the Greek island of Lesbos, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkish coastguards have so far recovered bodies of four Afghan children, it said.
Another two children perished when their vessel heading for the Greek island of Kos sank off the coast near the southwestern resort of Bodrum, Anatolia said.
The boat capsized because of heavy rains and stormy weather, it added.
Turkey, which is hosting 2.2 million refugees from the conflict in neighboring Syria, has become the main transit point for people fleeing war and misery for a better life in Europe.
Turkey and the European Union have agreed in principle to a refugee action plan, which is expected to be finalized at a summit on Sunday.
The EU is planning to give Turkey cash help as well as provide visa-free travel for Turkish nationals in return for Ankara's help to contain refugee crisis.

Housing migrants
The Dutch government has brokered a deal with municipal and provincial authorities to house thousands of migrants who have been granted refugee status.
The agreement announced Friday involves building accommodation for 14,000 refugees. The aim is to provide housing for people granted asylum by Dutch authorities so that they can move out of temporary asylum seeker centers and free up room there for the thousands of migrants pouring into the Netherlands each month as part of the huge flow of people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Local governments also agreed to create thousands of new emergency accommodation places for asylum seekers in coming months in empty office blocks and other buildings.
The central agency responsible for registering asylum seekers says that the number of migrants arriving in the Netherlands this year already has surpassed the combined total for 2013 and 2014. Through the end of October, some 47,000 people had applied for asylum this year.
The arrivals are dividing the Dutch public, with opponents regularly protesting at public meetings to discuss housing asylum seekers while an organization that helps refugees reported this week that it had registered more than 10,000 new volunteers in just over two months.